Sunlight control and concentrating device



Sept. 8, 1931.

W J. HARVEY SUNLIGHT COiITROL AND CONCENTRA'TING DEVICE Filed Feb 23, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 8, 1931. w. J. HARVEY 1,822,029

SUNLIGHTCONTROL AND CONGENTRA'FING DEVICE Filed Feb. 23, 1929 2 Sheets-Shet 2 [HI/ch for. Wed/er James l/arre g! la Patented Sept. 8, 1931 UNITED STATES \VALTER JAMES HARVEY, OF TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA SUNLIGHT CONTROL AND CONCENTRATING DEVICE Application filed February 23, 1929. Serial No. 342,043.

The principal objects of the invention are, to facilitate the use of sunlight for therapeutic treatment of various bodily ailments and to provide an apparatus which may be 5 readily installed in any window opening opening may be manipulated to pick up the suns rays from any angle and Clll'QCb them through the opening to a desired position in the room.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevational view showing an installation of the iresent invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional elevational view taken transversely of the window opening and showing the reflectors arranged in operative position.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing the reflectors in their concealed or closed position.

Figure 4 is an enlarged sectional View of a portion of the mechanism for manipulating the reflectors.

The therapeutic quality of sunlight is well known as a curative agent for many diseases but many conditions prevent the application of the curative rays to the patient, the principal difficulty being the focusing and directing of the rays to a position to reach the person to be treated.

The invention as herein illustrated comprises a casing 1 having a rectangular compair of brackets 6 supporting a horizontal shaft 7, one end of which extends into the upper end of the compartment 5 and upon the shaft 7 are secured the arms 8 which carry a reflector member 9.

The member 9 is pivotally mounted between the outer ends of the arms 8 and a telescopic rod 10 is pivotally connected to the outer side of the frame and extends up wardly and is hinged to a bracket 11 at the top of the compartment 3.

The rod 10 holds the outer end of the reflector with sufficient pressure to cause the inner end to tilt upward as the arms 8 are rotated to swing in an upward direction and the reflector frame swings upwardly and in wardly ultimately to a close position as shown in Figure 3.

Vithin the lower compartment 2 is arranged a bracket support 12 and vertically below one end of said bracket support is a bearing bracket 18.

A threaded shaft 14 is journalled at its upper end in the bracket 12 and at its lower end in the bracket 13 and arranged parallel therewith and rigidly secured in said brackets is a guide rod 15.

The shaft 14c is provided with a bevel pinion 16 at its upper end which meshes with a bevel pinion 17 secured to a horizontal shaft 18 which extends laterally to the vertical compartment 5 of the casing 1 and is there provided with a bevel pinion 19.

A block 20 is threaded on the threaded vertical shaft 1% and slides on the guide rod 15 and on said block is rotatably mounted a bevel pinion 21. This pinion has connected in trial alignment therewith a universal joint connection 22 which supports the inner edge of a reflector member 23.

The pinion 21 is rotated by means of a bevel pinion 2a mounted on a stub shaft 25 journalled in the block 20 and a telescopic shaft 26 is connected with said shaft and extends to the vertical compartment 5 of the casing 1 where it is universally connected with a shaft 27 mounted in a bearing plate 28.

A supporting arm 29 is pivotally secured to the outer side and toward the outer edge of the reflector 23 and its other end is supported on a pivotal bracket 30 arranged at the bottom of the lower compartment.

The pivotal connection of the universal member 22 swings the reflector member downwardly on its inner end pivoting on the arm 29 and the reflector member can be folded in the position shown in Figure 3.

The vertical shaft 31 is ournalled in suit able hearings in the vertical compartment Its lower end is connected through the pinions 32 and with the telescopic shaft 26 operating the universal connection to the reflector member 23 and said vertical shaft has a spur pinion 34 on its upper end.

A shaft 35 arranged in alignment with the shaft 31 and supported in hearings in the'compartment 5 has a spur pinion 36 on its lower end arranged adjacent to the pinion 34.

The upper end of the shaft is connected by the pinions 3'? and 38 to a shaft connected with the shaft 7 through a universal joint 39.

A vertical shaft 40 mounted in hearings in the compartment 5 has a bevel pinion 41 at its lower end meshing with the pinion 19 of the horizontal shaft 18 which operates the threaded vertical phart l4 and said v rtical shaft 40 has a spur pinion 42 on its upper end arranged slightly out of horizontal alignment with the spur pinion 34.

A squared vertical shaft is mounted parallel with and between the shafts 40 and 31 and has slidably mounted thereon a spur pinion 44 which is adapted to mesh with the pinion 42, or either of the pinions or 36 in accordance with its position on the shaft 43.

The pinion 44 is provided with a grooved collar 45 which is engaged by a fork arm 4-3 which is provided with a vertical portion 47 slidably mounted in a fixed vertical guide 48.

A laterally extending arm 9 mounted on the fork arm 46 is connected to a link 50 which is pivotally connected to the end of an arm 51.

The arm 51 is arranged in a horizontal position and is secured to a sleeve which extends through the wall of thebuilding into the compartment and mounted on the inner end of this sleeve is an'arm by means of which the sleeve is rotated and which also serves as an indicator to show the position of the members connected with the sleeve arm 51.

By rotating the sleeve 5. 2 the fork arm is operated to change the position of the pin- The rotation of the shaft 43 rotates the pinion 44 and consequently rotates whichever pinion 42, 34 or 36 it is in mesh with.

By shifting the pinion 44 through the mechanism described to mesh with the pinion 36 the rotation of the shaft 54 will operate the upper reflector to swing it to any desired angle and by shifting the pinion 44 to mesh with the pinion 42 the lower reflector may be swung to any desired angle in a vertical direction.

By moving the pinion 44 to mesh with the pinion 34 the lower reflector member may be tilted in a transverse direction.

With this practically universal arrangement of adjustment of the two reflectors the suns rays will be picked up by the lower reflector from any angle and arranged to direct said rays to strike the upper reflector and the upper reflector directs such rays into the compartment through the upper sash of the window opening as is shown in diagram in Figure 2.

This upper window opening will be provided with quartzite glass which permits of the free passage of the vital ultra violet ray which is most important in therapeutic treatments,

It will be seen that an apparatus of the kind described may be installed in connection *ith any window opening where the suns raysare at all available and by the manipulation of the reflectors through the control mechanism described, the rays can be focused and directed through the window openii'ig so that a patient inside of the building may receive the benefit of the vital rays of the sun as long as such rays continue to shine, irrespective of other weather con ditions such as heat or cold or wind.

The apparatus can be manipulated by the patient or by an attendant. It is very simple in its construction and is not likely to get out of order.

lVhat I claim as my invention is 1. A sunlight control and concentrating device, comprising in combination a universally adjustable reflector adapted to receive the suns rays, a reflector adjustably mounted adapted to receive and direct the rays reflected from the aforesaid reflector, an operating member, and means for operatively connectin said operating member selectively with each of said reflectors to effect their independent adjustment.

2. A sunlight control and concentrating device, comprising in combination a reflector capable of receiving and reflecting the suns rays adapted to be tilted in two t'ansverse directions, a reflector arranged above the aforesaid reflector and adjustably mounted and adapted to reflect the suns rays reflected from the aforesaid reflector and to direct the said reflected rays, and a common operating means adapted to selectively operate each of said reflectors individually.

3. A sunlight control and concentrating device, comprising in combination a reflector member pivotally mounted to swing up and down and to tilt laterally, a vertically adjustable member, a shaft mounted in said vertically adjustable member connected with said reflector to tilt it up and down, and adapted when rotated to tilt said reflector laterally, means for selectively adjusting said adjustable member and rotating the shaft carried thereby, and a reflector adjustably mounted above the aforesaid reflector and adapted to receive the rays therefrom and to direct them in a concentrating beam.

4. A sunlight control and concentrating device, comprising a reflector member pivotally mounted to swing up and down and to tilt laterally, a vertically arranged threaded shaft and a guide adjacent thereto, a block threaded on said shaft, a shaft extending from said block in a direction transversely of said threaded shaft and having a universal connection with the inward side of said reflector, means for rotating said shaft to tilt the reflector in one direction, and means for rotating said threaded shaft to raise and lower said shaft to tilt the reflector in another direction, and an adjustable reflector arranged above the aforesaid reflector adapted to direct the reflected rays from the aforesaid reflector.

5. A sunlight control and concentrating device, comprising a reflector member pivotally mounted to swing up and down and to tilt laterally, a vertically adjustable member connected with said reflector to tilt it up and down, a rotatable operating member journalled in said adjustable member, said operating member extending horizontally and being universally connected to said reflector member, means for selectively operating said adjustable member and op erating member carried thereby to eflect either a swinging or lateral movement of said reflector, a reflector member swung on a horizontal pivot above the aforesaid reflector, and means for tilting the latter reflector on its pivotal support.

6. In a light control device, the combination with a window opening, of a reflector arranged below the window opening and pivotally mounted to swing up and down and laterally, means for effecting up and down and laterally swinging movements of said reflector, shafts connected with said reflector operating means having operating gears thereon, a reflector arranged above the window opening and hinged to swing outwardly, means for swinging said upper reflector, a shaft connected with said swinging means, a gear mounted on the latter shaft, a shaft arranged in parallel relation to the aforesaid gear shafts and having a gear slidable and non-rotatable thereon, means for selectively sliding the latter gear on said shaft to engage the gears on the other shafts, and means for rotating the shaft carrying the slidable gear to rotate either of the other shafts at will.

7. In a light control device, the combination with a window opening in a wall, of a tubular shaft extending through the wall and having an indicator operating arm thereon, a shaft extending through said tubular shaft having a crank on its inner end and a gear on its outer end, a shaft journalled outside the wall geared to the latter shaft to be rotated thereby, a gear pinion slidable and non-rotatable on the outside shaft, a pair of vertical shafts arranged in alignment outside of said wall, a vertical shaft arranged parallel with the aforesaid shaft, gear pinions mounted on each of said vertical shafts and arranged in different horizontal planes and adapted to mesh with the slidable pinion, horizontal shaft connec tions leading from said vertical shafts, a reflector arranged below the window openin and operatively connected with two of said vertical shafts to be raised and lowered and tilted thereby, and a reflector arranged above the window opening operatively connected with the other of said vertical shafts to be tilted thereby.

8. In a light control device, the combination with a window opening, of a pair of compartments disposed respectively below and above said window opening, a reflector member adjustably mounted to swing into and out of said lower compartment and being adapted to close the open side of the latter when moved thereinto, a reflector member adjustably mounted to swing into and out of said upper compartment and adapted to close the open side of the latter when moved thereinto, and means for selectively adjusting said reflector members, said means being adapted to move said reflectors to close said casings when the device is not in use.

9. In a light control device, the combination with a window opening, of a pair of compartments disposed respectively below and above said window opening, a reflector member adjustably mounted and being adapted to be moved into said lower compartment to close the same, a second reflector member adjustably mounted and being adapted to be moved into said upper compartment to close the same, a plurality of operating members extending into said upper and lower compartments connected with said reflector members for effecting the adjustment of the same, said operating members being adapted to move said reflectors into said compartments to close the lisalinefand means. adapted to operate each of a e atine m m p mt y- 1 ,10.. In alight control device, the combina- Qtion with a Window opening, of a pairof [compartments disposed respectively ,below andjabove saidl window opening, a. reflector member adjustably; mounted .and being adapted to beumoved into said lower com- =partment to close the same,'a,sec0nd reflector nember adjustably mounted and being adapted to, be moved into saidupper com- ;zpartment to oloseuthe same, a. plurality of bperati ig-shafts arranged in said casings I ,and operatively connected with the reflectors .to. operatethe .same,shaft extensions extendingjrom said former shafts, and meansfor .,operating each of said shaft-extensions separately. .4 Y a T 1 l 1. Ina light control device, the combination ,Witha Windowv opening, of a pair of compartments disposed respectively below and above said windowopening and being v connected ,bya ,vertical compartment,a reflector members adjustably mounted and being adapted to bezmoved .into said lower compartment ,to close the same, a second reflector, memberswadjustablyl mounted l and being adapted tobe; moved into, said upper compartment to close the same, a plurality of operating members operativeiy arranged in the intermediaten connecting compartment, operating connections leading from said opcrating, members. andv extending into said upper, andwlo ver.compartments and operat-i,vely connected with the reflector members therein, ,and an operating. member extending intothe intermediate compartment and adapted to selectively operate said operating members.

12. A sunlight control andconcentrating device comprising in. combination .a vreflector memberpivotally mounted to swing 31p and down and toitilt laterally, avertically adjustable member, a shaft mounted, in

saidyerticallyadjustable member universally conn ected with said reflector to tilt it up and down and adapted when rotated to tilt said reflector laterally, means fonselectively adjusting said adjustable member and rotating theshaft carried thereby, and a reflectoraadjustably mounted above the aforesaid reflector and adapted to receive the rays therefrom and to direct them in a concentrating beam.

WALTER JAMES HARVEY. 

